Questions? Look here.

Can't find an answer? Call us at (210) 284-7236 or email Info@abacusmentalmath.com!

How long is the entire program?
To get from grade 10(lowest) to grade 1 (highest) it takes 3.6 years if you follow at 1 lesson per week, although we do have some students who move up at a faster pace and finish sooner.
At what age can you start Abacus Mental Math® training?
The typical ages to start are 5-13 although you can start earlier so long as your child has a foundation on the pre-soroban levels which we carry. If you child is between the ages of 5-13, you should start as early as possible within that time range, but as long as you catch that window they can learn. Because of the developmental stages in the brain at this age the elementary years are a prime time for learning. Don't lose your child's window!
How soon will my child start anzan(visualizing)?
If you follow the program 1 lesson per week your child should start anzan after 3 months of training, although some kids reach this point much sooner.
My child is already advanced, will Abacus Mental Math® provide a challenge for him/her?
Absolutely! Abacus Mental Math can provide a challenge even for math experts and adults. Our training builds on itself much like a spiral curriculum. If your child is a quick, advanced learner, our platform provides a course for him to learn faster and arrive at the more challenging questions sooner allowing him to stay ahead.
My child is an average learner will Abacus Mental Math® help him?
All children are smart because the brain is amazing! Your child is already smart. Abacus Mental Math® training will bring out this potential and help your child realize he is more than average!
My child has learning disabilities will Abacus Mental Math® help?
Abacus Mental Math has had excellent experience in promoting the academic improvement of children with learning disabilities. In such instances, but not all, children may require more parental hands-on. Because Abacus Mental Math® taps into the way the brain naturally functions, we are providing a tool for them to access their potential in a way that is natural yet much more intuitive. We've had children that don't "get" math start Abacus Mental Math® and their entire math world opens up.
Does the one hand method surpass the two hands method?
Historically Japan has used the one hand method with mind blowing results recorded in the Guinness World Records. Some companies have adapted to use the two hands method, but children achieve just as impressive results using one or two hands. The Japanese have specific finger movements when moving the abacus with the purpose of using the least amount of fingers and hands in the quickest way. For this reason we use the one hand method. We even have some children eventually drop their hands altogether and preform anzan without any hand movements.
If my child advances faster do I pay more?
No! Our fees are monthly fees not weekly fees. If your child advances faster through the program we will not charge you more for any extra lessons he wants to complete and your teacher will work with your child at his/her pace. Our classes are group classes with individual training. It is the best way to teach in a group setting and still preserve individuality.
What is the teacher to student ratio and how long are the classes?
For live classrooms, classes are 1 1/2 hrs. at a 1-10 teacher/student ratio. For online, classes are semi-private for 1hr.
How can I start?
Call, (281-826-9195) text, or email us to set up a FREE trial class.
My child has already done some abacus can he jump in where he left off?
We can certainly assess your child and place him into the program. Some companies that teach abacus don't teach with the correct progression or have weak results with anzan. When this is the case, we can place your child on a sprint course of the program address any gaps in their training and bring him up to speed etc. After the sprint, he can continue forward with the rest of the program.
Why teach the abacus when we can use a calculator?
The simple answer: It is faster and more effective!
The more detailed answer: Another way to phrase this is, why teach kids to read when we have Siri or computers that can read for us? The same is true for sports and physical activities, why teach them to develop their muscles when we have incredibly, technologically, advanced wheel chairs and machines that can move for them? A calculator is a tool that thinks for you. Muscles (the brain is a muscle) grow and increase in strength by use, not by making others or other machines think or move for us. Why teach our kids sports, reading, math, science, compassion, honesty, kindness, or anything else for that matter? To teach them to be autonomous, self-thinking, independent, strong, brilliant, caring, morally-cognizant, Godly, individuals that can enter the adult world with more confidence, skill, intelligence and heart to make the world a better place by being who they are. We know where traditional arithmetic methods will take our children because we were those children once, and the vast majority of us can admit to being dependent on a calculator to think for us. While there is always the exception to the rule, with traditional arithmetic methods you cannot control if your child will be that exception, with Abacus Mental Math you can.
For schools: Is abacus a cheat tool? Pencil & paper vs. the Soroban abacus vs. the calculator.
The Soroban abacus cannot compute any more than pen and paper can compute. Both tools are strictly dependent on the user to calculate and do the all the thinking, both tools are useless without the user behind them doing the calculating, neither tool is a calculator. The Soroban is equivalent to pen and paper only to the extent that the user is the one calculating, and the pencil & paper, or Soroban, is only recording the data. The calculator on the other hand, is a tool that does the arithmetic thinking for you. You can have no knowledge of arithmetic, use a calculator and obtain the result. What sets the Soroban abacus apart from pencil and paper though, is the user can surpass the calculator in speed and accuracy, making the Soroban the most effective tool for teaching math to children, at great speeds, without compromising their mathematical thinking skills. This of course is only the start. After some time of exposure to the abacus, a mental "picture" of the abacus forms in the mind just like a "picture" forms in your head when you read "The cat fell on the cake", and the user can use this "invisible" abacus to compute mentally at speeds that can surpass a calculator.